Blood, Sweat, and Tears
by PrincessGrace15
Summary: "What's your name?" The girl swallowed and licked her lips nervously, stuttering as she spoke. "D-d-Dawson….Elinor Dawson." Phil nodded his head in acknowledgment. "And how old are you, Miss Dawson?" Her bottom lip trembled. "Nineteen." "Do you know why you're here?" "I...I...um...is this a test?" "Sort of." "If I pass, can I stay here?" "Do you want to stay here?" "Yes sir!"
1. Chapter 1

**This is the first in my series of Ellie oneshots. It's written in a slightly Jason Bourne style, for those of you who've seen the Bourne Legacy. I know it's short, but that's all it needed. By the way, listen to "Barbastella" from the Batman Begins soundtrack while reading if you prefer. I listened to it while writing, and the music fit perfectly.**

**~*000*~**

**Prologue**

As a seasoned veteran of S.H.I.E.L.D., Phil Coulson thought he'd seen it all. Aliens and evil mutant organizations were just a fraction of the things he'd encountered. So naturally, Phil wasn't at all surprised when Director Fury ordered him to interrogate a new "mutant." He'd been informed that the young woman was a skilled fighter and possessed extraordinary abilities. But, even calm and cool Phil Coulson's façade shattered when he saw the being in the small interrogation room. He'd been told to expect an angry young woman, and to be ready for a fight in case she broke loose. Instead, he saw a mere girl; a broken and fragile young woman. She couldn't have been more than seventeen years old. Her skin was deathly pale, and her fair hair hung limply in ragged strings. She was painfully thin, and her red rimmed eyes glimmered with unshed tears. They darted about the barren white room, as if searching for any possible means of escape. She reminded him of a frightened animal. At that moment, her worried gaze locked straight onto him. Although Phil knew the glass wasn't see-through from that side, it felt as if she were staring straight into his soul. In that moment, his heart went out to the young woman. He looked to Agent Maria Hill for affirmation. The stern agent nodded, and Phil began to speak. He dispensed of his authoritative "agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." voice and instead adopted a gentle, fatherly tone.

"It's okay, miss. You're safe here. Nothing to be afraid of." Immediately her head jerked up, and she stared at the black glass before her. Her unique eyes were a periwinkle color, and it took some focus on Phil's part to speak again. "I just need to ask you a few simple questions." She nodded, though it was a trembling, shaky nod. "What's your name?" The girl swallowed and licked her lips nervously, stuttering as she spoke.

"D-d-Dawson….Elinor Dawson." Phil nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"And how old are you, Miss Dawson?" Her bottom lip trembled.

"Nineteen." Nineteen…she looked so much younger…

"Do you know why you're here?" She swallowed nervously again, and her eyes darted wildly about.

"I…I…um…is this a test?" He felt so sorry for her, but he had to continue questioning. Damn S.H.I.E.L.D protocol.

"Sort of."

"If I pass, can I stay here?" her voice sounded like a child's, scared, and weary. The question caught him off guard.

"Do you want to stay here?" The tears welled up in her eyes and spilled out over her lashes, trickling down her cheeks.

"Yes sir, more than anything!" Phil glanced sideways at Maria, switching off the microphone.

"What do we do now?" Maria sighed as she fingered the communication device on her hip.

"We've run background checks on her. She's safe; just shaken up. Fury said it's your call." Phil looked back at the young woman, who looked as if she might burst into tears. She looked completely vulnerable, and utterly alone. His emotions, (what very little he possessed), took hold as he looked at Maria and nodded. She switched on the microphone again. Phil sighed before he spoke.

"Very well," he declared as Miss Dawson's head snapped up, "you've been admitted. Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D." She almost burst into tears at hearing his words, but she kept the sobbing at bay. Now, there wouldn't be any more running. Now, she was safe.

**~*000*~**

**And that, ladies and gents, is how Ellie became a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. Leave me a note, tell me what you liked or didn't like.**


	2. Entry One

**Most of the rest of this will be in first person present tense; Ellie's POV. There will be some parts where it isn't her talking, but most of it is Ellie. I'm having fun with this one :-)**

**~*000*~**

**Entry One**

My first days at S.H.I.E.L.D. were rough, to say the least. I really didn't know what I was in for, but joining a highly secretive intelligence agency seemed like the only option for me at the time. Phil told me that I was privileged; that all agents admitted had to undergo rigorous physical and academic tests, among other things. To this day, I wonder why he let me in without really testing me. I remember the feeling of relief after the first interview, and I was almost happy again. However, that happiness soon disappeared when I got to know the organization a little better. Most people were…cold, and unapproachable. They almost seemed like emotionless robots. But, I guess to work for S.H.I.E.L.D., you kind of have to be an emotionless robot. There were select few people who showed even the slightest bit of emotion, and those people were Clint Barton, Maria Hill, and Phil Coulson. (Yes, I know what you're thinking. Coulson?! He has emotions? Yes. He does. I saw him smile once, after I beat Barton in sparring). Speaking of which, Barton became my friend almost instantly. We both shared the same dry wit and at times, immature sense of humor. I'll never forget the first day I met the Hawk…

_I'd been wandering the corridors of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters for what seemed like hours now, though it was probably only fifteen minutes. I was looking for my Arabic III class. S.H.I.E.L.D. reminded me of a college class campus sometimes…even though it was all located in one building. They offered classes for agents who needed to expand their skills in different areas. Mostly they offered history, math, science, and foreign language classes. For overstressed agents, they offered things like yoga or aerobics. I guess they needed relaxing classes to keep their agents from going off the deep end. That really didn't matter to me at the moment though, seeing as I was going to be late for my Arabic class in a few minutes. I looked at the card again. Maybe the class was located in a secret room that I didn't have access to. I was a mere, lowly level four on clearance, but I felt stupid not being able to find my Arabic class. I was a demigod, after all. Athena was probably laughing at me from her throne in Olympus now. I drew in a sharp breath and doubled back. Maybe I'd missed it, wrapped up in my thoughts. A male voice interrupted the eerie silence of the corridor. _

_ "Hey." I looked behind me, and my brow furrowed when I saw no one. Perhaps it was the intercom…? I shrugged, and turned on my heel in the opposite direction. "Up here, Blondie," said the voice again. Feeling a bit dull, I looked up, and sure enough, there sat a man in the rafters, holding a nerf gun any eight year old boy would have been jealous of. The expression on my face must have been amusing, because he laughed. That was probably the first genuine laugh I'd heard from a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. His sandy hair was cropped close to his head, and his blue-green eyes twinkled with mirth. His smile was crooked and betrayed a hint of mischief. I instantly decided I liked him. Yes, I know that seems a little quick, but I am a perceptive person, and I sensed the good in this man. "You're probably wondering what I'm doing up here." I shrugged._

_ "It's not the weirdest thing I've seen all day." _

_ "You new here?" he asked, stowing the nerf gun in a ceiling tile above him, then sliding down a cable to the floor. He was shorter than I expected. I was almost eye to eye with him. _

_ "Yeah, and kinda lost."_

_ "I know. I watched you walk around this corridor three times." I cocked an eyebrow and felt a grin spread across my face._

_ "And you didn't bother to help me?"_

_ "Well, I was planning on shooting you with my nerf gun, but Hill told me that was frowned upon in this establishment." _

_ "It certainly would have made my day more interesting." He shrugged after my remark._

_ "I didn't feel like scaring you off. Besides, there aren't many pretty girls at S.H.I.E.L.D. anyway." I could feel a slight blush rising on my cheeks, but I brushed off his comment. I could already tell he was a "ladies' man" from his attitude. _

_ "What's your name, agent?" I asked, trying to switch the conversation._

_ "Ooh, getting all professional, are we? Well, sweetheart, you can call me Hawkeye." I stifled a snort. _

_ "Is that like your secret agent alias?" He sighed._

_ "Ok, most women find that mysterious and sexy. You obviously don't think so. My real name's Barton, Clint Barton. What's yours?" _

_ "Elinor Dawson. Most people call me Ellie." That crooked grin spread across his face again._

_ "Well Ellie, I'm gonna call you Blondie from now on." _

_ "Sounds good to me," I answered with a nod._

_ "Now Blondie, where are you headed?" I looked at my schedule again, and told him about my Arabic III class. He let out a long, low whistle after he took a quick glance at it. "Fury's got you loaded up. C'mon. I'll walk you to your class. I've got Russian next door." _

_ "Oh, that sounds exciting," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. He sighed. _

_ "I refused to learn some stupid language, like Swahili, and Russian was my only option." The two of us conversed all the way to our classes, and I was happy to have found someone normal to talk to-well, as normal as sitting in the rafters with a nerf gun can get. Barton was funny, and we shared a similar sense of humor. Not to mention good-looking…but I had a boyfriend outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. And I was pretty sure Barton had a girlfriend already. He just…seemed like the type who got girls easily. "Well, here it is. Arabic III. You have one minute until you're counted late." I smiled. _

_ "Thank you, Barton."_

_ "You can call me Clint." I nodded awkwardly before turning into my class when he spoke again. "Hey… you want to get a coffee or something, after this class?" My brow furrowed. _

_ "Well, I have Krav Maga after Arabic…but I'm free after that." He smiled his crooked smile. _

_ "I'll see you in the cafeteria then." I nodded once more before slipping into the back of the class. It had already started, and I was a minute late, but the agent/professor didn't notice, and I didn't care. I had a friend now; a real friend at S.H.I.E.L.D._


End file.
